Most of the bipods on the market appear to be clones of each other. They
are made of anodized aluminum utilizing a swivel-stud mount and spring loaded
legs. Whether they carry the name Harris, Winchester, Caldwell or some store
brand for the Asian knock-offs, they all appear to have come from the same
mold. Oh, there are some minor design differences and some major quality
differences, but the basic design is essentially the same. Whether the original
patent has expired or it is simply licensed to a variety of companies is hard
to determine. The bottom line is that most of them provide a relatively stable
platform for shooting on the range or in the field.

That being said, we wanted a more versatile bipod for hunting here in
the mountain West. We wanted a bipod that permitted us to swivel our barrel
slightly (left/right), without torquing, twisting or moving the legs and to
compensate for up to 20-degrees of cant. The new Caldwell Clutch Bipods meet
both criteria.

They are completely new in design and considerably simpler than
"standard" bipods. They have a swivel pad that allows you to move
your rifle left or right up to 20 degrees and also have an 18 degree
bi-directional cant. Those features are just what we have been wanting for many
years. The external spring loaded legs have been replaced by an internal
ratchet-spring mechanism which locks positively in place. The legs of this
bipod are just as stable as those on conventional bipods. The only feature
missing are the spring loaded leg extensions. Frankly, I don't miss them, as I
have lost more hunks of skin when I pressed the button to retract the legs and
didn't get my fingers out of the way. You manually pull out the legs on the
Clutch bipod, just as you do on regular bipods, but you have to turn a barrel
knob to lock them down. They do not automatically lock into position when
extended.

Because of this feature, we would not recommend the Clutch bipod for
guns weighing more than 10 pounds, as their weight might collapse the extended
legs to the retracted position. That said, most hunters are not going to be
using a sporting bipod on a 15-20 pound competition target rifle, such as our
daughter's F-Class Savage.

Features:

Lightweight design -
anodized aluminum & glass filled polymers

Easily attachable and
detachable from front swivel stud

Stud for sling
attachment built into bipod

Rubberized swivel pad
protects forend of gun

Swivel pans 20-degree
left/right and 18-degree bi-directional cant

Legs are notched to
extend to multiple lengths

8.75"
(unextended) extends to 12" for prone model

15"
(unextended) extends to 30” for sitting model

Folds easily and
quickly under barrel

The Caldwell Clutch Bipod comes in two models: Prone and Sitting
position, with an MSRP of $69.99 and $84.99, respectively. They are priced
competitively with other bipods, but have the advantage of being simpler in
design and devoid of the steel plates and wires that eventually rust on other
bipods. If you are looking for a stable platform for short or long range
shooting, with the capability of moving your rifle to acquire the target, this
is the bipod to buy. Jim will be using the prone model on his upcoming
muzzleloader deer hunt.